Out of the CamelBak’s competition, the Zojirushi holds heat the best, but the Contigo is easier to use and clean.

The CamelBak is at least as good as the Zojirushi at retaining heat. I consider the CamelBak superior to both the Zojirushi and Contigo.

The competition for this mug is stiff. The Zojirushi is a competent heat retainer while the Contigo is easy to use and clean.

The initial base for all of these tests is a cheap plastic travel mug my wife bought me some years back, against which I tested the Zojirushi and Contigo.

So it’s only fair to use the plastic mug as a base for testing the CamelBak against.

In the end, the CamelBak Forge doesn’t just beat the plastic mug, which is to be expected, but also the Zojirushi and the Contigo.

Read on to see why.

The cheap plastic travel mug, a gift from my wife a few years back. This formed the basis for my travel mug tests.The three mugs I put through their paces. From left to right, Zojirushi, Contigo, CamelBak.

TL;DR

For those who don’t want to read the whole post, here are my findings, abbreviated.

Heat retention

I ran two heat retention tests for each mug (the cheap plastic mug, the Zojirushi, the Contigo and the CamelBak).

In the first test I poured coffee into each mug, took the temperature, closed the mug for 6 hours and 26 minutes, opened the mug and took the temperature.

In the second test I poured coffee into the mug, took the temperature, closed the mug and opened it every half an hour to take the temperature.

The CamelBak beat the Contigo easily and drew with the Zojirushi in this department.

Toughness

The CamelBak’s as tough as a metal mug will be.

Its body will bend under strain or dent when knocked and the lid won’t bear a beating either, so handle it with care.

This is not unique to the CamelBak though. They design travel mugs to hit the sweet spot in a number of areas; it’s impossible to create a product that’s indestructible, retains heat well, is easy to clean and use AND doesn’t weigh a ton.

Spilling and leaking

The CamelBak is leakproof.

I filled it with coffee, turned it upside down and shook it. Nothing spilled.

So I turned it right side up and opened it. It released some air and splattered a few drops of coffee.

Then I turned it upside down again and nothing leaked from it.

The splattering of coffee got me curious.

Would this mug splatter drops of coffee every time I pressed the button to open the lid for a sip?

So I went through the motions of drinking from it, paying attention to what happens whenever I open it.

It did NOT sputter coffee when I opened it.

The only reason it did so when I tested it for leakage, was because I shook it while holding it upside down, which caused pressure buildup in the mug.

But it won’t leak. So don’t worry about coffee seeping out of it if ever the CamelBak finds itself on its side in your car.

The CamelBak Forge is leak proof, as this picture of it dangling upside down shows.

Lockable

This is one area where the CamelBak loses to the competition.

It does not come with a lid lock, which means inquisitive young hands might pick up the mug, press the wrong button and spill something.

However, the button you press to open the drinking spout is solid. A baby won’t be able to open it easily.

Besides, with enough fiddling, even a mug with a lock could end up being opened.

These pics display the drop in temperature of coffee in the CamelBak Forge…

The coffee had a temperature of 66 degrees Celsius when I first measured it in the CamelBak Forge.

After 30 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 54 degrees Celsius.

After 60 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 52 degrees Celsius.

After 90 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 49 degrees Celsius.

After 120 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius.

After 150 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 43 degrees Celsius.

After 180 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius.

After 210 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 39 degrees Celsius.

After 240 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius.

After 270 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius.

After 300 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius.

…and these pics display the drop in temperature of coffee in the cheap plastic travel mug I tested the CamelBak Forge against…

The coffee had a temperature of 66 degrees Celsius when I poured it into the cheap plastic mug.

After 30 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 51 degrees Celsius.

After 60 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius.

After 90 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius.

After 120 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.

After 150 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 29 degrees Celsius.

After 180 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius.

After 210 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 23 degrees Celsius.

After 240 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 23 degrees Celsius.

After 270 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 21 degrees Celsius.

After 300 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 21 degrees Celsius.

Second test

In the second heat retention test I poured coffee into the CamelBak and measured the temperature at 66 degrees Celsius.

After 6 hours and 26 minutes, I unscrewed the CamelBak’s lid and measured the temperature again. It measured 33 degrees Celsius.

That’s a drop of 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit), which turns out to be similar to the first heat retention test.

I started the second heat retention test with the coffee at a temperature of 66 degrees Celsius.

After six hours 26 minutes, the coffee had a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius.

Note: These tests weren’t done in a lab, but in a room in a normal home.

Ideal coffee temperature

The Coffee Detective says that the ideal temperature range for coffee is between 155°F to 175°F (70°C to 80°C).

Driftaway Coffee‘s Scott says coffee should be between 120°F and 140°F (48.88°C to 60°C).

It’s down to personal preference.

And then there’s the growing interest in cold brew coffee, which is a different, and dare I say, superior beast, to traditional coffee.

How to use it

Unscrew the CamelBak’s lid, pour your beverage of choice into the tumbler and screw the lid back on.

You could screw the lid back on immediately, especially if you want to keep your beverage scorching for a long time.

But if you’re like me, who uses a travel mug more for the convenience of having coffee securely on the go, rather than for having it as hot as possible for as long as possible, you might want to allow the contents in the tumbler to cool down before you screw on the lid.

Before you screw the lid on

When you wash your CamelBak, you remove the lid set from the tumbler, flip open what CamelBak calls the arms of the lid set and clean it, either with a brush or in a dishwasher.

But before you screw the lid back onto the tumbler after you’ve washed it and want to use it again, make sure the arms are in the correct position. If they’re in the wrong position and you try to put them in place after you’re screwed the lid on, you won’t be able to do so.

The CamelBak’s lid set’s arms in the open position, for cleaning.

The CamelBak’s lid set’s arms in the closed position. Make sure it’s in this position before screwing it into the tumbler.

How to drink from it

This releases the spout lock (which extends from what CamelBak calls the arms of the lid).

Make sure you hold the mug away from your face when you press the button, because it can build up pressure while standing.

Put your lips to the Forge’s spout.

Tilt back your head and sip.

Push this button to open the CamelBak’s drink spout.

The CamelBak’s drinking spout remains closed while not in use.

Pressing the button at the back of the CamelBak opens the drink spout and allows you to sip from the mug.

Lock it in the open position

If you want to keep your CamelBak’s spout open permanently, simply press the button to open the spout, as you would when you take a sip, then press the little button on top of the arms down to lock the arms in place, thereby leaving the spout unblocked.

The arms in the closed position, keeping the spout closed.

The arms in the open position, with the lock button in place to keep it from closing the spout.

How not to use it

Although the CamelBak doesn’t come with a manual, you should use it with care.

Do that by following these guidelines:

Don’t let babies or kids use it.

Ensure that no parts (like the rubber seal) are missing before using it.

Make sure the lid’s arms close after you’ve taken a sip.

If it stops retaining heat, stop using the CamelBak.

Hold the mug away from your face when you press the button to take a sip.

Don’t put your CamelBak in a microwave oven.

Don’t drink and drive.

Don’t drink from it too quickly. Take it easy.

Don’t shake the mug while it’s filled with something.

Don’t fill it with dry ice.

Can you use it for soup?

I don’t know if the CamelBak Forge is supposed to be used for drinking soup from, but I was going to find out in any case, since I tested the Zojirushi and Contigo in a similar fashion.

I used a creamy tomato soup, the same one I used for testing the other mugs.

I prepared the soup according to instructions, then strained it into a jug to remove lumps.

From the jug I poured the soup into the CamelBak.

It worked.

I could drink soup from the CamelBak easily.

But you use it for this kind of thing at your own risk. I suspect they make the CamelBak for use with coffee and tea, not soup.

So the fact that the CamelBak is even easier to clean than the Contigo is a big deal.

Dishwasher safe?

The CamelBak Forge’s lid SHOULD be dishwasher safe, but don’t quote me on that. It’s hard to find info on this mug, and since I promised to gift mine to a friend after the test, I didn’t want to sacrifice it for the sake of a test.